zbrom

Hello, I am zbrom, and I consider myself to be a hardware and Linux enthusiast. My desktop is custom built and is now running the latest Arch Linux build. I have been using Arch Linux for about a year and a half and am currently running the GNOME desktop environment. I started this website to act as a useful tool for anyone interested in Linux and everything open source. I plan to use this website as a means to communicate and archive various techniques and operations to be completed inside a Linux environment. While my educational background is rooted in science, I have had a great interest in computers since I was young. I can recall the first website I designed back in the old angelfire days, which was over ten years ago now. I have always had an interest in anime, and some of the first websites I created were fansites. I believe one of my old sites is still alive: http://gtvortex.tk My interest in anime at the time prompted me to study the Japanese language, leading to my completion of four semesters of Japanese. For anyone interested in beginning Japanese, I recommend this site as a useful place to start: http://www.freejapaneselessons.com As soon as I completed Katakana, I was hooked.

I first began programming back in the old VB6 days and designed an interface for controlling a HTPC. My first Linux install came in 2005, when I installed Mandriva Linux on an old Pentium 3 HP computer. At the time I was amazed by all of the free and widely available software I could install. Additionally, it ran much smoother than Windows XP did on the machine. Back in 2010, I set up my first Ubuntu Server on a headless unit, consisting of a laptop with a broken screen, allowing SSH access only. This was the first test for me which sparked interest; it allowed me take control of my operating system and configure it to my liking. At the time, one of my buddies suggested I try Windows Server 2003, and after seeing his configuration, I was not impressed. I felt that Linux provided a more secure and more customizable experience. Additionally, I wanted the server not to run a GUI, but instead, be completely controllable via command line. This forced me to learn the necessary skills to gain competency in Linux. Also that year, I switched over all of my computers to run Ubuntu as the primary OS. I have been using Linux for the last two years, and do not miss Windows at all.

I purchased a Raspberry Pi at its initial launch, to act as an inexpensive and power-efficient media server for my network. At the time of purchase, the only available operating systems for the Pi included Debian Squeeze, Fedora, and Arch Linux. At first I defaulted to Debian, because it was familiar; however, the GUI was terrible, and the system would take a couple of minutes to boot up LXDE. I then tried Fedora, and again was dissatisfied. Lastly, I decided to try Arch Linux, which I heard was the most difficult to install, yet the most customizable. I had it running fully optimized with all of the required applications I needed, and the system would boot in under 30 seconds. Arch Linux has been incredibly stable and has never crashed on my Pi. I chose to migrate to Arch Linux for my desktop, because I do not like the path Canonical is taking with Ubuntu 12.10, by integrating Amazon ads and other useless lenses into the OS. Arch is about simplicity and customization, which is why I feel it was the ideal choice for my setup. Expect more tutorials in the upcoming weeks, as I discover new and interesting configuration schemes inside Arch Linux.